Probiotics?

[Jison0612]

I have Crohn's disease and I'm curious about probiotics. R they proven to help the gi track and benifiet Crohn's symptoms? Are they safe to take alongside my my medication I'm taking now(entocort). And what brand is the best and were can I get it? Thanks ahead of time guys

 

[valleysangel92]

Scientists are in debate about the effectiveness of probiotics butany people here have found them to be of huge benefit.

They won't interfere with the entocort . They may not directly improve your symptoms but they help improve the natural bacteria in the gut and fight bad bacteria. I know you have been on antibiotics recently which will have depleted your stores of healthy bacteria.

It won't do any harm to try them.

 

[Jison0612]

I'm just trying to figure out anyway to aid my meds in keeping me in remission I'm not against medication I just wanna do all I can do to stay as healthy as I can I wonder if there's a magazine or something that is up to date on everything Crohn's and health?

 

[valleysangel92]

I understand that, it definitely won't hurt to try them, but you will need to stick with them for a couple of months to give them a good chance to work.
I don't know about any magazines or anything but I do check www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk sometimes as it has info on treatments and tests.

 

[Jison0612]

Thank u so very much ur always very helpful should I tell my doc that I'm gonna try a probiotic?

 

[valleysangel92]

You can tell them yes but they might not say they recomend it

 

[Jison0612]

Yeah I know that's what theyed say that's why I'm hesitant telling them. Oh well I guess atleast my upper abdoman pain has let up now I just feel constipated

 

[valleysangel92]

Yeah I know, but they can't stop you taking them. Try a little prune juice if you can tolerate it. Only a little though.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I agree with valley that in most cases there is no harm in trying probiotics. The jury is out on whether its effective for IND but in my opinion healthy bacteria is always a friend. It may not help IBD but maybe other areas of health will improve.

You may experience increased bloating, gas and cramps in the beginning and in rare cases probiotics can cause damage. http://www.ehow.com/about_5449650_probiotic-dangers.html

 

[mnsun]

Most should be taken on empty stomach. Most should be refridgerated and bought from reliable health stores that care to keep them that way. However, many store bought brands do nothing for me. In general, there are multi-strain and single strain products out there. The better ones are usually more than 8 billion per cap, generally speaking. Many probiotic strains also help regulate mood and keep anxiety at bay while boosting/balancing the immune system by crowding out the opportunistic co-infections (staph/ecoli/pathogens of all manner) that take up residence in inflammed tissue with good bacteria populations.

The brands/strains I've liked best, and noticed direct benefit from (mind you I have been re-sectioned near the terminal ileum 8+ years ago), are: Jarrow EPS (2-4 a day), Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra (2-4), Thorne Research Bacillus Coagulans (2), Living Streams Mission liquid probiotic (L. Paracasei, follow instructions), Attune candy bars (or Howaru strains in other brands' capsules), Goodbelly drinks (or L. Plantarum probios), the NOW Acidophilus/Bifidus 8 bill per cap ones seem to work okay...

You can find many of these at like a Wholefoods, better independent health store, or online at mega vitamin sites (iherb,vitacost,amazon,luckyvitamin etc...).

I would be surprised if these didn't noticeably help the majority of Crohnnies to a directly observable outcome. If not, you can be assured that these help prevent further damage and regulate mood.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

I take Probiotic Pearls. I only take one a day and it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Sometimes you can also find coupons for them.

http://www.pearlsprobiotics.com